Yamaha P115 vs P125

Confused between Yamaha P115 vs P125? The article below will tell you the differences between these two models. Of course, Yamaha P115 and Yamaha P125 have a lot of similarities. This is because Yamaha P115 is the predecessor of Yamaha P125. While not obvious, the improvements from the old model to the new model are actually present.

Continue reading to learn further about:
– The design and dimensions of each digital piano here
– The connectivity features available on each model
– The mobile apps used by Yamaha P115 and Yamaha P125
– The sound quality of Yamaha P115 vs P125
– Whether P115 owners should upgrade to P125 or not

Design
In terms of design, these two pianos look really similar. They both are available in black and white color choices. They are quite compact and lightweight, despite having full-size weighted-action keys. One each unit, all the control and function buttons are arranged neatly on the top, while the connection ports are located on the back.

Yamaha P115 and Yamaha P125 are 88-key digital pianos, and they both have graded hammer standard (GHS) keyboards. In other words, the keys in the low end are heavier while the keys in the high end are lighter – this mimics the characteristic of a true acoustic piano.

As the effect, these models are great options for a beginner who wants to learn playing a real piano. You will subconsciously learn proper finger techniques by playing on a GHS keyboard. At the moment you start playing a true acoustic piano, you will find the keys familiar. Furthermore, the sensitivity can be adjusted between soft, medium, hard, and fixed.

The keys are indeed plastic. They are not necessarily luxurious, but they do feel precise, robust, and easy to press. The matte finish on the black keys is cool; it feels nothing like ivory, but it does feel nice to touch.

The dimensions of Yamaha P115 vs P125 are identical. Each of them measures 1,326mm x 295mm x 166mm (52.2 inches x 11.6 inches x 6.5 inches) and weighs about 11.8kg (26 lbs). These digital pianos are really compact and space-friendly, so they won’t eat up too much room. They are also fairly lightweight. They are viable options when portability is needed, and suitable for bedrooms, small studios, and travelling musicians.

Each model here comes with a small foot pedal. However, this is not a real piano pedal. It is small. Although it can work, you may find it difficult and awkward to use. Hence, buying a real piano pedal that is compatible is recommended.

Each of these models is backed by a 3-year limited warranty if you purchase it from an authorized retailer, such as Amazon. The warranty will cover any manufacturing defect. However, it won’t cover the accessories, such as the power adapter and the foot pedal.

Connectivity
Each of these digital pianos is equipped with two 1/4-inch audio outputs (L & R), a pedal sustain port, and a USB port. Having two audio outputs will allow you to connect a pair of stereo speakers, though you may use just one speaker on the “L” output and it will automatically combine the two signals into one.

Both Yamaha P115 and Yamaha P125 support USB-to-Host. In other words, with either model, you can use the USB connection to connect a computer or mobile device. When connected to a computer, the piano will send MIDI signals. This is useful if you want to create music or record your performances in MIDI files. See also: Yamaha P45B vs P115.

The mobile connectivity is also interesting. Unfortunately, the mobile apps that you need to connect Yamaha P115 or Yamaha P125 to mobile devices are only available for iOS, and not for Android.

You can connect your iOS device to the piano with a USB cable. Afterwards, the iOS device will act as an LCD screen. You can adjust various settings through the mobile app, such as the voice, rhythm, reverb, and split, and you can also record your performances.

Mobile Apps
Although Yamaha P115 vs P125 can connect to iOS devices, it is quite strange that they work with different mobile apps. Yamaha P115 works with a mobile app that is called Digital Piano Controller. Meanwhile, Yamaha P125 comes with a mobile app called Smart Pianist. There are several differences between these mobile apps that are not apparent right away.

At first, the two mobile apps look similar, as they can do the same things. You can activate or deactivate the Dual Mode with a simple click, adjust the reverb type and reverb depth, and enable or disable the Split function. You can also access the Metronome through either mobile app, which is a useful feature for beginners for controlling their tempo.

The Chord Chart feature is really cool. It can analyze the songs in the iOS device’s music library, and produce the songs’ chords. It works almost like Shazam; but, instead of showing the song’s name or artist, it shows the chords so that you can play the song on your piano. In theory, you will be able to play your favorite songs right away.

Furthermore, the company has also provided several sample songs in the mobile app. For example, there are “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John, and “Always on My Mind” by Willie Nelson. Great songs for starters. These sample songs help to cover up the weakness of the Chord Chart feature.

Yes, the Chord Chart feature has a weakness. It is not going to work perfectly on all songs. The company claims that Chord Chart can analyze tens of thousands of songs, there are more than tens of thousands of songs in the world. In general, songs that are too complex or don’t use the common chords can’t be analyzed by the Chord Chart feature.

Sound Quality
So, how is the sound quality of Yamaha P115 vs P125? It is true that each of these digital pianos uses the Pure CF Sound Engine to generate sounds. The sound engine does include the sound of the Yamaha CFIII 9-ft concert grand piano. Note that Yamaha P115 has 14 different voices, while Yamaha P125 have 24 different voices.

However, their speakers are configured differently. As a result, when you are playing without headphones or external speakers (most people will just rely on the built-in speakers most of the time), you will notice that they sound different. This probably won’t matter too much if you are exclusively playing with your own headphones or external speakers.

Yamaha P115 is actually good. It has positioned the tweeters of the speakers to be in line with the player’s ears. As a result, the piano can deliver lively sounds. Compared to older, previous models, this model sounds more expressive.

Yamaha P125 has further improved the sound quality. It comes with a two-way speaker system that can deliver soundwaves in upward and downward directions. As a result, the piano can deliver incredibly rich and lush sounds. The stereo imaging comes to life. While the sound is still not to be compared against high-end pianos, it definitely sounds nicer than most other models in the category.

Should You Upgrade?
Based on the explanation above, we can conclude that Yamaha P125 does bring good improvements over Yamaha P115. New buyers should just pick Yamaha P125 instead of Yamaha P115, as it offers a better mobile app and improved sound quality. You may like the prospect of playing your favorite songs with the help of the Chord Chart feature. The additional voices also make a nice bonus. It is an easy decision.

But how about Yamaha P115 owners? Should they upgrade to Yamaha P125?

If you already have Yamaha P115 and you are quite happy and satisfied with this model, there is no need to rush to buy Yamaha P125. Indeed, the new model has a better overall score, but it doesn’t justify spending hundreds of dollars for just a few improvements.

If Yamaha P115 hadn’t come with the ability to connect to an iOS device, upgrading to Yamaha P125 would have been a reasonable decision. If the new mobile app had been available for Android devices, upgrading from P115 to P125 would have been reasonable, too.

But neither of these is true, and most of the other features and capabilities of the two digital pianos remain similar. You already have weighted-action keys on your Yamaha P115, as well as the same sound engine, polyphony count, and reverb functions. The additional voices on Yamaha P125 are also kind of gimmicky, but not really useful if you only play with piano voices.

Conclusion
If you don’t have any of these pianos yet, you should choose Yamaha P125. It comes with a better mobile app, which has the Chord Chart feature for analyzing songs in your music library and showing their chords. It also has improved sound quality, thanks to the new two-way speaker system. However, Yamaha P115 owners don’t really need to upgrade, as the improvements are minimal.

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